Povu didn't go out of the territory very often, but when he did, he always went with the notion that he would find himself plenty of materials. So many that he needn't go out any longer. He had once made the mistake of asking his mate, Riu to fetch him back any of the materials he had needed once, but the herbs came back withered and trod upon, quite unsightly to be sure. He never asked again and he declined her offers to come with him.
Today he wore two packs and was looking for a few specific herbs, but also for any bones that were parched from the sunlight. Bones, in various forms, whether they be powders or fragments, were very useful.
What he found instead, however, was something rather unusual. Past the borders of the mountain range, not at all close to his home in the valley, Povu found a mature hybrid, standing just were the border would be, if the Isoba marked any. He blinked at her and moved on his way, careful to go unnoticed, but paused when he spotted one of the herbs he needed growing in a patch nearby. Bother, he would have to stop and risk being seen by her after all. Best be quick about it, he thought, unsheathing his claws as he readied himself to slice away at the stems and gather them into one of his bags.
Komori had heard whispers on the wind of a pride that accepted hybrids. She had gotten this far by word of mouth alone, without needing a guide to aid her. She was determined that she could go the rest of the way too, but as she looked up before her, at the mountain range that seemed so difficult to cross on her own, her resolve wavered.
It was then that she spotted the pale blue lion, with notable stripes and... she narrowed her eyes... yes, his eyes were of two different hues. How striking. He bore two packs on his back and she watched as he moved to a patch of some sort of wildflower. He worked quickly, as though there was somewhere he would much rather be, but she had seen the direction he had come. The same direction that she had been going.
"Excuse me!" She called and saw his fur ruffle. "I do beg your pardon, but I was wondering if, well," She hurried closer and lowered her voice. "Might you be apart of the Isoba'velius?" She saw him stiffen and his eyes moved up to meet with hers. Ah ha!
Oh gods, she was a chatty one, he thought, focusing on his task and not looking up at her. Maybe she would just get bored and go away and then he could go home and sulk to Riu and Meltem about the stranger he met. Then, he mentioned his home and in his surprise he looked up at her. There was sudden triumph in her eyes and he glanced down at the leaves, scooping them up into his bag.
"I..." Gods, what could he say. "Yes, I'm with them. What do you know of them?" He inquired, not ready to give anything away. Secrecy was, after all, the point of the Isoba.
"I know that they're the pride I want to join." Komori said immediately. "I know they are close by and that they take all sorts. I know they are hard to find, but I want to find them. I know that they are only discovered through word of mouth and I know that I am not leaving this place, I am only traveling with you to them." She declared boldly, only to hush her voice again, glancing around for anyone who could be looking in.
"My name is Komori and I will be returning to your home with you... er, what's your name?" She asked, tilting her head.
He honestly didn't know what to make of her, but she seemed to have done her research about his home pride. Surely the council wouldn't be cross with him for bringing in such a willing member, he thought.
"...Alright. Follow me." He might not be getting the materials he wanted, but he was bringing in a new member, so that would have to count for something, right? He certainly hoped so, but it would be for the council to decide. Until then, he would only walk and hope Riu wasn't too overexcited when she saw him bringing in a new lady to the pride.
As they walked, he realized he hadn't answered her question and let out a small sigh.
"As for my name... It's Povu." He replied finally. "It's... good to meet your acquaintance, Komori. I hope everything goes well, when you're introduced to the council."
This was it! Komori was finally going to make it into the Isoba'velius, the pride that she had spent such a long time to find. She grinned at the thought of it and bounced as she walked. Despite her bouncing and pleasure, the leopon made little sound as she moved and she frequently checked her surroundings. She had a good memory for areas and it pleased her to know that she would finally be going somewhere her skills were needed.
The last she had heard of her family, they had been headed towards the Bahari, whatever that was. Supposedly it was a pride of lions by the sea, but while her siblings may be alright with joining an all-lion pride, the notion of it alone had made her feel too much like an outsider. She struck out on her own as a result, away from her mother and siblings and started looking for a pride who would accept her as a hybrid.
It was then that she started to hear whispers and mentions of a pride that alluded to the Isoba. When she finally got some information and the name of the pride, she had grown eager to find it. A pride for hybrids! How exciting! She had done all she could to find the pride and now, she was finally going to see it! It was all she could do not to talk the ear off the lion beside her, but she didn't want to be kicked to the curb right when she was so close, for being too loud. That said, he was bringing up such interesting things!
"Oooh, the Council? Do they decide about new members? How interesting. Well, I'll be sure to impress them. I heard something about familiars being important, also. Where's yours? Are you allowed to leave them at home? That's cool, I guess. I don't have one yet, but I don't think it should be too hard to get one, you know?" She shrugged. "I think I'd like a maned wolf or a serval. Something with lots of teeth, you know?" She shrugged. "Anyway, what's your familiar like? What's the matter?" She had sensed a shift of mood gone downhill. Had she said something wrong?
The fact that Povu had been born and raised in the Isoba and yet didn't have a familiar of his own yet was a sore subject. His ears flattened and he replied in bitter tones.
"I don't have a familiar yet." He sulked and then continued forward, picking up the pace a bit and ignoring any further words from the leopon at his side. The sooner they got home to the council, the sooner he'd be rid of her company and he could curl around Riu and forget about the whole affair. At least his mate didn't also have a familiar. Then he would really feel left out. As though she sensed the change, the leopon beside him stayed mercifully silent and he was able to continue up the mountain paths to get where they both wanted to be.